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On June 27th of this year, Supreme Court Justice Kennedy announced his retirement, leaving an open position for President Trump’s very own Supreme Court nominee which he announced on July 9th as being conservative Republican Brett Kavanaugh. On July 30th, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California- the top Democrat of the group of senators who vote in a Supreme Court nominee- received an anonymous letter from a woman who claimed that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when the pair were in high school in 1982. Feinstein kept the letter to herself until September 13th, one week after Kavanaugh attended his first Senate Confirmation Hearing, when she and the other Democrats on the committee informed the FBI. One day later, the claim went public and Kavanaugh publicly denied the allegation. On September 16th, the woman who made the allegation made her identity public, revealing herself to be professor of psychology Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. On September 27th, Ford publicly testified against Kavanaugh in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on national television, alleging that Kavanaugh had pushed her into a room and groped her with his friend Mark Judge present at a small impromptu gathering. She kept this to herself for many years out of shame, but believes it is her civic duty to present this information to the Senate judiciary Committee despite the harm it has brought her and her family. Several people Ford has mentioned in her testimony have no memory of the event occuring. Kavanaugh then gave his emotional testimony, saying that he enjoyed beers, but was never drunk enough to have assaulted Ford and has no such gathering marked on calendars he kept in the summer of 1982. Kavanaugh also explains that the possibly-lewd comments regarding sex and drinking on his yearbook page were twisted by liberal media and do not mean what they seem. He also cites six background checks by the FBI on previous occasions, all of which turned up no information regarding Ford, however these investigation types are usually based off of forms that have been filled out by the nominee themselves. On September 30th, President Trump ordered a week-long FBI investigation into the matter. Since then, two other women have alleged that Kavanaugh assaulted them as well. On October 4th, the Senate Judiciary Committee began reviewing the FBI investigation. A confirmation vote will take place on Saturday, October 6th.

Here are some of KCC’s student’s opinions:

Senior Rachel Rigler:

I think it would’ve been unfair to decide on the outcome without an FBI investigation. By investigating the accusations, it will send the message that Ford’s claims are worthy of being taken seriously. I don’t believe that it would’ve been fair to make a decision based off of the “he said, she said” approach. Besides Kavanaugh and Ford’s testimonies, there was little to no evidence helping either side. If Kavanaugh is proved to be guilty, I don’t think he should be allowed into the political position because that would’ve meant he lied under oath profusely. For his sake, I hope he’s telling the truth, but I simply don’t know if I can say I believe him.

Junior Emma Browning:

My thoughts are that if it’s taken this long to try to get info on Kavanaugh, then there isn’t anything left to be discovered. It doesn’t take six FBI investigations to the bottom of something cause if there was any proof regarding Kavanaugh they would have found it within the first two to three [investigations].

Senior Ben Simmons:

I can’t claim to be fully informed but from what I do know my current opinion is that there are pieces of both of their stories that don’t fit. However, to label these allegations as false and dismiss them away simply because he has been vetted in the past is letting something go that shouldn’t ever be labeled as trivial. Additionally, I don’t think it is acceptable to say it is something that he may have done in high school but he is not the same person now. That may be applicable to other situations but anyone guilty of sexual harassment or assault should not ever be in a major place of leadership in our country. Overall, I think this deserves further investigation and whether he is confirmed or not it shouldn’t be hurried along as if sexual assault charges are something to brush over.

Senior Hannah Denne:

I think that obviously the most difficult part of this whole situation is that no one has much evidence right now – we have both of their testimonies, and a few smaller things, but that’s it. It’s sort of like being in high school, where everyone’s just ganging up with their friends and not hearing the other side of the story, except instead of teenagers it’s politicians and reporters and parents and coworkers. People will stick to the side they feel more emotionally attached to, and that’s a hard situation to navigate. Personally, I try to believe survivors. Not just women, because men get sexually assaulted too. I can’t imagine the courage it must take to share yourdarkest experience with the world. Her testimony is compelling and I believe that she, as an individual, would have no reason to lie. However, if it turns out that Brett Kavanaugh is innocent, I hope his name can be cleared. No one should have to suffer for a crime they didn’t commit.

DISCLAIMER: ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE INDEPENDENT OF THE PAWPRINT AND ITS AFFILIATES. THE PAWPRINT DOES NOT PUBLICLY ENDORSE ANY OPINION ON KAVANAUGH, FORD, OR ANYBODY AFFILIATED WITH THIS STORY.